I am in need of a 1080p TV that I can also use as a computer monitor. I Looking for something 32" and under. Preferably 120Hz input, but no biggie.
post #2011 of 4426
1/8/11 at 7:17pm

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I'm replacing my 10+ year 27" RCA CRT which is now so fuzzy that I can't even read most of the text in Forza3 and Halo3, or in some scrolling "tickers" at the bottom of some news channels. I'm debating between the Panasonic TC-L42U25 (Amazon, today only, $499) and the Sony Bravia KDL-40EX401 (Sam's Club, $548). This is the "whole house" usage living room TV... Me, wife, and my 2 kids are 10 and 11.
1. Budget: 500-600 - but you knew that from my two choices. 2. Seating distance: The room is 14' wide x 20' long, TV on the short wall. Seating distance is mainly 8'-12' - some seating is as much as 45 degrees from center. While gaming seating would be centered and 5-7ft. 3. Size/placement limitations: inside an existing armoire, absolute MAX width is 42.5". Base of the TV will be about 30" from the floor. 4. Uses and sources: 33% TV, 33% gaming on Xbox360 (not sure whether I'll use component or HDMI), the other 33% will be either DVD from an upconverting Panasonic home theater system (i don't have a BD player yet, and likely won't for at least a year), or streamed video from miscellaneous Internet sources. We are NOT big sports watchers, but we do enjoy fast-moving action movies. 5. Room lighting: 9' wide of windows on the wall directly opposite the TV, and 9' of windows on the right side wall (as you are facing the TV). Artificial lighting is a single bulb incandescent fixture in the center of the ceiling, and occasionally two lamps on either side of the armoire (and therefore behind the plane of the TV). Gaming lag is important, but so is PQ (I know... i'm really straining it by saying PQ is important with a $500 budget!). I personally would dearly love to get plasma, but it's out of the question because the kids will NOT be reliable to prevent long-term DVD Menus, paused games, etc. I'm really torn on the 60Hz vs 120Hz issue. Obviously 120 is supposed to be better, but then there's the reports that it makes gaming lag worse, as well as the dreaded Soap Opera Effect. Recently I watched a brand new LED 55" Samsung 3D TV get installed for my boss... before he arrived we had it tuned in to the movie "Single White Female". I seriously didn't recognize the movie at first because of the super "artificial" feeling I got from the video smoothing. I HATED it. I value the Sony for it's better contrast ratio, and overall there's a lot more positive information out there about this unit. As well, it's +1 HDMI and +1 component video connections. Further, it will play mpg through USB. However the Panasonic also has generally strong reviews, is +2" in size, and 120Hz. However far lower contrast ratio. As well, I can't find reliable information on just what kind of panel it has. Finally, I would prefer a unit that has as much calibration configuration options as possible - I pretty much hate every manufacturer's pre-sets. Help! |






